1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to sighting apparatus for attachment to a firearm, and more particularly to sighting apparatus having a light projection aiming device, and which is releasably attached to the firearm permitting rapid attachment and detachment thereof.
It is well known in the art to attach a light projection device, particularly a laser, to a firearm to assist in aiming the firearm at a target. The advantages provided by a laser-sighted firearm, especially at night, are acknowledged. For police and law enforcement personnel, the need for accurate aiming of their firearms to prevent injury to innocent bystanders is acute; and pursuing officers will sometimes withold firing at a fleeing suspect for this reason. The ability to pin-point the position where a bullet will strike if fired from a firearm obviates much of the concern for inadvertent shootings.
The need for laser-sighted aiming is not always present; and in close quarters in daylight, the laser aiming device with its attendant bulk and weight can be a hindrance rather than a help. Therefore, it is desirable to provide sighting apparatus having a mounting adapter that permits a laser aiming device to be placed on or removed from a firearm very quickly and easily. Also, in case failure of one laser aiming device occurs, it is desirable to have a mounting adapter that permits substitution of aiming devices without re-sighting of the aiming device with respect to the barrel of the firearm.
An additional problem associated with laser-sighted firearms is the possibility that the laser will be accidentally activated, permitting a beam of potentially hazardous and damaging strength to be released. Great damage to the human eye may result from impingement thereon of a beam of laser light. Accordingly, it is desirable to have a safety mechanism to prevent accidents from occurring through the inadvertent activation of a laser aiming device.
A further problem with a laser-sighted firearm is that the laser tube may be damaged during firing because of the recoil of the firearm. Therefore, it is desirable to provide sighting apparatus with a shockproof mount to absorb recoil energy. The recoil energy absorbing mechanism must not, however, present be cumbersome or add excessively to the weight of the sighting apparatus.
Finally, it is desirable to have a conveniently operable mechanism for activating the laser to project a beam onto the target when the marksman is ready to fire a round. An inconvenient activation mechanism or one that is cumbersome to manipulate would greatly impair the effectiveness of a laser-sighted firearm, especially during rapid fire situations. Providing an effective activation mechanism becomes even more of a problem where the laser is to be releasably mounted to the firearm.
2. Description of the Prior Art
One approach to providing a laser-sighted weapon in which the aiming light portion is removable in U.S. Pat. No. 3,867,764 issued to Dunmire et al. This patent discloses an aiming light attached by a molded portion to an aiming light adapter which mounts on a weapon adapter. The weapon adapter is designed to fit in the handle of a weapon and is attached to the weapon before the aiming light adapter is mounted thereon. The weapon adapter includes a tongue portion which engages a groove portion on the aiming light adapter. The aiming light adapter includes horizontal and vertical adjusting mechanisms for positioning the aiming light beam with respect to the bore alignment of the weapon.
Dunmire et al., while providing sighting apparatus that is releasable to permit placement on or removal from a firearm, does not provide a shockproof mount, but instead, solidly mounts the aiming light to the firearm. The major drawback of Dunmire, however, is that horizontal and vertical alignment devices do not permit aiming lights to be interchanged without subsequent sighting-in of the aiming light with the barrel of the firearm.
Another sighting apparatus for attachment to a firearm is that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,844,710, issued to Zinsser. This patent discloses a light projector adapted to be supported on the barrel of a weapon by a clamp that is adjustable to set the axis of the projector to project a beam of light onto a point on the trajectory of a bullet fired from the firearm. The projector is activated by electrical current supplied through a switch contact that is disposed away from, but in close proximity to, the finger grip of the firearm trigger. Contact between the switch contact and the trigger of the firearm will complete an electric circuit to the projector permitting the lamp therein to be turned on. Zinsser provides an activation mechanism that is convenient to operate by the marksman; however, the mechanism disclosed is not, because of the necessity of interconnecting wires, compatible with a quick release sighting mechanism.
Key, U.S. Pat. No. 1,826,004, discloses sighting apparatus having a light projection device for aiming and a mount for temporarily attaching the light projection device to the firearm in such a way that the recoil of the firearm places no shock on the device. The approach taken to absorb recoil energy is that of pivoting the firearm to the sighting apparatus so that upon firing the firearm will recoil away from or separate from the sighting apparatus.
Although the prior art discloses sighting apparatus having mounting adapters for attaching a laser or other similar types of light emitting sources to a firearm, there is not provided sighting apparatus which permits quick and ready removal of the aiming device from the firearm, and which has the additional desired features of interchangeability of aiming devices without requiring that the aiming device be re-sighted in with respect to the barrel of the weapon and without requiring the reconnection of wiring between the aiming device and an activating switch.